Well due to popular demand I finally decided to start this thread. Over the next few weeks I will post as many Vince related articles as possible. They will be about training, diet, and everything else from the Gironda Universe. I figured I'd start it out with this article written by Vince.

The Essence of Bodybuilding By Vince Gironda (From Iron Man, May 1983) I have stated numerous times that champions obviously possess something that others do not. Even though training partners do the same routine set for set, rep for rep, they do not obtain the benefits of the champions.

I have observed champions train in a manner I do not approve, but they receive results that are phenomenal. What is it that they possess? Well, I will tell you, they are using mental suggestion (self-hypnosis).

When I first observed this, it puzzled me. The first time I noticed Walt Baptiste, former gym owner and magazine publisher from San Francisco (Body Moderne), touching his abdominals while backstage before going out to pose at several physique contests, he seemed to be saying something to his abdominals as he stroked them. He seemed to be sending a message into this body section, because I could actually see the abs sharpen up and grow more outlined than his normal condition. I later discovered that Walt was sending mental images to his subconscious, to produce this phenomena.

I learned that you can actually produce the desired condition by picturing in your mind what you wish to manifest. He also breathed deeply and regularly in through his nose and out through his pursed lips. As you know, this type of breathing is employed between sets prior to repeating the next set. At this time, the mechanism employed should be to picture in your mind a clear image of the muscle or area of the body you wish to develop, and hold the image throughout the performance of that set.

Walt promoted the first Mr. California Physique Contests, in which I placed second and third several times. He later gave up his gym and opened a chain of yoga studios in the San Francisco area.

The technique of mental suggestion is what all physical culture writers are trying to explain when they throw that nebulous term "concentration" at you. They seem to recognize that concentration is necessary, but do not know how to trigger the mechanism that produces the phenomenon. The subconscious believes any thought you perceive, and stores it. It accepts everything that is thought or spoken by you or another, if you accept it as truth. But it must be repeated again and again until the subconscious accepts it as fact. Then it will produce the condition pictured in your mind.

This procedure is what I maintain is used by the champions, whether or not they are aware of it. They are convinced of a successful outcome.

This awareness is more important that any steroid drug, any diet plan or supplement, or any exercise routine ever conceived. I have observed bodybuilders who take steroids and receive no benefits. They take unimaginable amounts of supplements and constantly try new routines, but are not getting results, and never will until they discover that what I have written here is the true essence of bodybuilding. For years I have been asked by my fans to write the secrets of the champions, and here you have it.

Utilization of amino acids by muscle cell for cellular growth (bigger myofibrils). Entry of amino acids (final breakdown product of protein into cell). For this to occur the amino acids must be in the serum (blood) and they must have the mechanism to get into the cell.

Working out lowers blood sugar. The body shuts or slows down the insulin production. The body produces glucagon to raise blood sugar.

Insulin is the primary driver of amino acids into the cell.

II. Workout too hard and:

burn all your energy reserves shut down insulin production increase glucagon production start working out on your "neuro transmitters" (norepinephrine) you shake – "over tonus" blood sugar falls amino acids don’t get into cell muscle growth can’t occur muscle growth can only occur after the work out when over tonus subsides (eat) Moral:

Keep Amino Acids high in blood. Keep insulin going (production). Don’t burn-off all energy reserves during workout, so you don’t shut off all the insulin.

Workouts and Body RhythmBy Vince Gironda(From Iron Man, November 1983)I once wrote an article entitled "Muscle Confusion," which was not understood by many. Readers actually made fun of it. I will now attempt to explain in more detail the essence of that article. The following is dedicated to those of little faith and to the ones who resist change.

I am sure you are aware of the fact that due to your biorhythms you do not get a good workout every time you train. For instance, how often do you achieve that intangible state when every move you make seems to be letter-perfect? When this phenomenon occurs, you realize what you should experience every time you train.

Apparently, the body is trying to tell you that it does not respond to the same workout routine every workout session. So, if you understand this fact, you use different exercises, tempos, combinations of exercises and seemingly illogical sets and reps, or lack of sets and reps.

I have found that man’s logic and nature’s logic are totally different. In other words, try breaking the rules and see what happens.

The Ultimate Decision: Bodybuilder or WeightlifterBy Ron Kosloff N/C of NSP Research NutritionYou are going to come to a crossroad in our game where you are going to have to decide whether you want to be a bodybuilder or a weightlifter. A bodybuilder sculpts the body to make each and every muscle stand out. If Vince Gironda’s method is used, all four heads are worked to really make the muscle take shape, have definition, and aesthetics. A weightlifter (tugger, swinger, puller…you know what I mean) endeavours to have a large ego as well as large muscles. To my way of thinking, weightlifting exercises are a conglomeration of cheating movements.

For instance, a bench press is a cheating exercise where you use about six (6) muscles. Plant you feet on the floor, arch your back, and immediately you are using the terrous major muscle. You also put your thumbs around the bar (this should never be done -- you should always use a palm grip) and immediately you use the forearms. Now you’re using your back and your forearms as well. Once you arch your back and get your feet in a planted position, primarily the exercise is inner deltoid. When you do this, you are using your biceps and triceps. So you’re using roughly six muscles including the pectorals to so-called lift the weight, never really developing any muscle, never shaping or sculpting it.

As I said earlier, you should never put your thumbs around the bar. When you do, in any exercise, you will bring your forearms into play. As an example when working your biceps, half of the exercise will be forearms and the other half is biceps. That’s why people say to me, "Every time I do curls, I feel it in my forearms." That’s right, because you are wrapping your thumbs under the bar, which is called a palm grip, or a false grip.

Of course, if you do want to be a weightlifter, tugger, and what not, you will have to realize that sooner or later you are going to injure every joint, muscle, ligament, and tendon in your body. All for sake of saying, "I’m a power lifter and I can lift 400 pounds." It’s not going to get you any muscle shape. It will, however, cause you lots of pain, and it will only get worse as you age.

With most power lifters, diet is thrown to the wind because they eat anything and everything. Technically, the more you weigh the more you can lift. You will have to ask yourself if that’s how you want to look, or do you want to look like a bodybuilder? This is the ultimate decision that you’re going to have to make.

When I first got into the game, I was a member of a YMCA. I would go there to swim and shoot pool once in a while. Occasionally, I would see these really big fellows come in. They were huge. I soon found out that they were weightlifters. I went to the weightlifting room to observe and was just standing around and one of them said to me, "Come on in, we’ll show you how to lift." I thought, "Oh boy!!! This looks good to me."

Most people who lift weights have some sort of an inadequacy complex. I won’t say inferiority complex, but they feel inadequate and their self-esteem is low. I knew mine was. I had always been extremely slender. They showed me all of these exercises and I was thrilled. Naturally, I couldn’t lift the amount that they were lifting because they were much older than I, but I made an attempt. I thought this was how you attained a decent body because I had seen pictures of Steve Reeves. I never knew how he worked out. I had seen some pictures of the old-time bodybuilders and I thought bodybuilders and weightlifters were one in the same. I had no idea they were that different. I recalled seeing bodybuilding magazines with the type of physique I liked.

After I worked out my first night, everyone hit the showers. I was looking around at these guys and said to myself, "Holy smokes, I don’t want to look like that!" They all had big guts and large rear-ends. These guys were big and strong, but they were not impressive at all. They didn’t have the look of a bodybuilder. That is when I found out that there was a huge difference, but since I was a kid, I just didn’t know. At the YMCA at that time if you were a bodybuilder you were considered a little funny. They would hold a bodybuilding contest, but it would be in the basement. A man posing, shaving his body -- this was unheard of. So, the weightlifters got all the attention.

I used to go to some of the weightlifting meets. When I first walked in, I saw all of these guys with bandaged shoulders, wrist, and knees. I could smell the liniment. It was horrible. I could hear them saying, "I ruined my knee, sprained my ankle, hurt my back, etc." I thought to myself, "This sure as hell isn’t something that I want to get into." After observing that, I knew right away that I didn’t want to be a weightlifter. As an older guy today, I don’t have many injuries except for some scar tissue in my left shoulder and left knee when I tried to prove I could lift a weight that I couldn’t. When scar tissue forms, it never goes away. If you try and lift weight that Mother Nature never intended for you to lift in the first place, you are going to injure yourself. Most of my life being a bodybuilder, I never taxed the scar tissue in my shoulder or knee, so I have never had any injuries. I never tore anything. I have never injured ligaments or tendons. Most power lifters, weightlifters and bodybuilders today take steroids. The simple fact is, and most people don’t understand, that steroids will certainly make you bigger, absolutely. They will make you tremendously stronger. They will anesthetize you. You will feel great when you take them. One thing that steroids can’t do is make your ligaments, tendons, and joints stronger. That’s one reason they’re so many injuries in sports in general. Some professional athletes are on steroids, either to get bigger and stronger or to recuperate from the strenuous, almost-yearlong endeavour of preparing for their jobs. My teacher, Vince Gironda, hated them, and he accused them of destroying the game that we partake in. When steroids first came into prominence in 1963, all meaningful advancement in natural bodybuilding ceased, which was tragic. Of course, it broke Vince’s heart. He hated steroids and he made it known and he stood alone.

At the YMCA, someone had posted a sign down in the dungeon, where the bodybuilders used to train, that the western YMCA was holding a bodybuilding contest. There were going to be ten (10) contestants. So, I got on the bus and went to the contest. The minute I saw those guys I knew it was exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to look good. I wanted to have shape, definition and aesthetics.

Most power lifters look down on bodybuilders as not strong people. This is simply not true. I try to explain (if people listen) there are two types of strength. There is individual muscle strength and there is group strength. Let’s say you lift 200 pounds in a standard bench press. I bet that you couldn’t do 200 pounds in a Vince Gironda neck press. What’s the difference? A neck press is where you lie on the bench with feet crossed and knees as close to your chest as you can. Your back is flat now. Take the weight off the rack and use a 90-degree grip between your forearm and your bicep. That’s your set position. Your back is flat and your chin is up. You start out with the weight elevated as high as you can get it and then slowly bring the bar down to the sternoclavicle, or your Adam’s apple, and then draw your elbows back.

In a standard bench press, you bring the bar down to the lower pectoral line, which now becomes an inner-deltoid exercise. When you bring the bar down to the sternoclavicle and pull your elbows back, you are getting a tremendous stretch between the top of the pectorals and the bottom. It is a tremendous exercise, but I bet you will cut your weight almost in half. Now you’re lifting 100 pounds with one muscle instead of 200 with six (6) muscles. That’s the difference between a weightlifter and a bodybuilder. You have to decide whether you want to impress people with how much weight you can cheat up or how you look.

When Larry Scott entered a bodybuilding contest, do you think the judges cared if he could do a 300-pound bench press? They didn’t care how much he could lift. They were concerned about how he looked. Did he have shape, definition, and aesthetics? People who do individual exercises have individual strength. Those who do group exercise have group strength. I cannot workout the way a weightlifter can but in turn he can’t workout the way I do.

I had a Canadian weightlifter come into my office (Detroit is just across the border from Canada) and he wanted to get liver and protein. We talked about Vince Gironda’s methods and he kind of scoffed at them. I said, "Marcel, what do you do in a curl. Do you ever do dumbbell curls?" He said that he used 60-75 pounds for dumbbell curls. I said, "I have two (2) 25 dumbbells here. Do you think you could do 8 sets of 8 repetitions?" He laughed at me. He thought it was funny. But I told him we were going to do it my way, not his way. "Put your heels together and toes apart. Bend your knees and hunch forward and put your chin to your chest. Grab the dumbbell with a palm grip and straighten your arm out. Start with the dumbbell on your fingertips. As you curl both weights you lock your elbows into your side. Hunch over so the weight at the bottom will have the same resistance when you contract at the top. You’re not leaning back and cheating the weight from a half movement to a full movement. Close your eyes and feel the weight. Feel the positives. Touch your deltoids and squeeze them as hard as you can for six (6) seconds, then feel the weight on the way down. Do a full set. Don’t drop the weight. Let it go down on your fingertips. Put the weight on the floor and hyperventilate for 15 seconds. Grab the weight again and do another set." It was a joke. On the second set, sixth rep, he couldn’t even lift the weight. Then I took the 25-pound dumbbells and I cranked out 6 sets of 8 reps and said, "See, technically I am stronger than you when I do an isolation exercise. But when you do a weightlifting exercise, you’re stronger than I am. That’s not to say I can’t be as strong as you. If I had the capabilities, I could not do as much weight, but I could increase my weight a lot."

The reason that Vince Gironda called the squat a sissy squat is because he would make sissies out of weightlifters when they would come in and do squats. Weightlifting squats are not basically a leg exercise. Certainly, you get big thighs but you ruin the proportion between your thighs, hips, abdomen, and lower back. As Vince had said, weightlifting squats do many things that you don’t want your body to be accustomed to like increase the size of your stomach because you push it out, widen your lower back, and get a big rear-end. Vince said he could tell an eastern bodybuilder when he came into his gym by the size of his rear-end. Vince would always warn people, and I have advocated this and told people at the Powerhouse Gym people, when I owned it, once you develop your glutes, you can never reduce them. They are the densest muscles in your body. People used to laugh at me, but many years later they now say they wish they would have listened.

Look at all the modern-day squatters who call themselves bodybuilders. They have rear-ends that proportionately are bigger than their legs. They look horrible. They walk like ducks. That’s the first thing I noticed at the YMCA. I want to warn all you bodybuilders. If you start to do squats, you will get a large rear-end that will never, never go away. I’d like a weightlifter to duplicate this. I saw Vince Gironda on a hack-slide/hack-squat machine that he invented. He went up on his toes with heels together, both knees would be pointed towards opposite walls (like a frog). I saw the man crank out 8 sets of 8 reps with 15 seconds of rest in between. I think the bar was around 225 pounds. Now that is strong! Most people do weightlifting squats because it’s easy to do. It’s much easier to bend over and use a group of muscles. When you isolate the thigh in hack slide versus a squat, you have one muscle lifting 225 pounds versus five (5) muscles lifting 400, which is a cheating exercise to begin with.

Now you ask the question, is it possible to be a bodybuilder and weightlifter? Well, unless you are a genetic superior like Vince Gironda always talked about, the answer is no. I have only seen two people in my life that were capable of doing both. One was an old-time bodybuilder/weightlifter who was on the U.S. Olympic team. His name was Tommy Kono and he represented York Barbell. He had a terrific physique. There are some people who can do squats because they have small hips and small glutes to begin with, but 95% of people can’t. He entered weightlifting and physique contests. Sergio Oliva, who defected from Cuba in the late 50s to early 60s, was a member of the Cuban weightlifting team. He didn’t look like a weightlifter, he looked like a bodybuilder, but he was blessed. When I watched him work out at the YMCA in Chicago, he had such a small waist and small hips and no rear-end to speak of so weightlifting squats didn’t affect him that much, if at all. When he started in bodybuilding, he was very successful, but he didn’t pay very much attention to his diet. When I watched him work out, he was eating some kind of pie and drinking a Coke. He didn’t look like he knew that much about nutrition, and that’s why when he competed against Larry Scott in 1966, Larry just blew him away. Vince once said, "If I ever trained Oliva nobody could touch him." He was such a genetic superior. He rivalled Don Howorth in bodybuilding proportions. I always thought Don had more potential, but Sergio just never practiced good nutrition. I guess he felt that he didn’t have to. When Scott beat him in the 1966 Olympia (I was there), Sergio was just dripping with oil. He put so much oil on his body to try to bring his definition out, and it really made him look worse. Because of his genetic superiority and the fact he was blessed, he went on to win many, many titles. One time I was at a seminar in Minneapolis, he was bragging that he beat everybody. I cleared my throat and said, "Sergio you never beat Larry Scott." He was quite embarrassed about that.

So, as I first stated, you will sooner or later have to choose -- good luck!

Vince Gironda: Why He Isn't Accepted(Originally written in 1981)By Ron Kosloff N/C of NSP Research NutritionSeveral people have asked me why I have written articles concerning Vince Gironda. Some have inferred an interest conflict, as he handles Natural Source in his gym and I distribute his courses in the East. Well, he handled the products long before I became a distributor! He owes me nothing and vice versa! I only see him once a year when I’m in L.A., and then just to say hello and have lunch. I do speak to him periodically when I order his courses. I will never forget that he helped me to make progress after I wasted two years on fruitless training methods. I, as Vince, am a very analytical person, and I did as much research on him and his methods as was possible. He has given so much to bodybuilding but has been virtually ignored. We all search for honesty in life and Vince is one of the most honest people I have ever met! This I immensely respect. It will take many words and examples, but I hope I can communicate with you and comprehensively explain the title, so please bear with me.

I felt the need to write my second article about Vince because I feel that all bodybuilders might listen and benefit from his teachings, and that his many critics would be understanding. Then, I hope both groups would have an open mind. Remember, 35 years of bodybuilding research is at your disposal, if you desire it!

It is still a fact that bodybuilders, gym owners, and so-called authorities either scoff at or just ignore Vince’s methods, and for very definite reasons. It is paradoxical, for I have personally discovered that his harshest critics have read or understand little or none of his philosophies, and have never given them an honest evaluation. I have observed that when someone has unorthodox views, he seemingly is always defending his views while being criticized for them. I can refer to Vince and myself, for he created his ideas and theories and I embrace them. Just being a proponent and exponent of his teachings has left me open to ridicule, arguments, and some friendly kidding. Inevitably, I’m asked why I am not Mr. America if his methods are superior. Well, I always answer that I am no Mr. America in any sense of the word – not even close! I work out to maintain a decent physique, my health, and I am aware of my genetic limits. But, I inject, that what I have attained would never have been possible if I hadn’t met Vince Gironda – period! Where Vince is concerned, it is very true that he never capped a major title. Concepts of the ultimate physique have repeatedly changed over the years and men that won contests did so with the physique that was "in style" at that period. When Vince competed, either you looked like John Grimek (bulky and smooth) or you lost – simple as that! Ironically, Vince always placed second or third and was branded "too defined," whatever that meant. If I have encountered these critics, then I have wondered about Vince himself, and the criticism he has taken for his unorthodox thinking. Of course, this reminds me of the fact that anyone who thinks differently than the so-called establishment is always ridiculed. You can categorize people as being a conformist or a non-conformist, a leader or a follower, and secure or insecure. Vince is fortunate that he is a non-conformist, a leader, and very secure. Coupled with the fact that he has an outstanding I.Q., it created the combination that has contributed immensely to the science of bodybuilding.

The gifts that humans possess that are unique among animals are the ability to reason and think. These abilities create many things, both good and bad, and unfortunately most of us don’t utilize these abilities enough. The people that do give us knowledge in the arts, sciences, engineering, medicine and bodybuilding. Here is a tangible point in that most of us just don’t realize what a scientific endeavor bodybuilding really is. A tremendous amount of mental and physical preparation must be anticipated, plus the nutritional and theoretical principles must be valid. Extensive planning is essential! A good number of us are not aware that bodybuilding was born of weightlifting – a son, so to speak. But these two endeavors are as different as languages. Where the weightlifter is huge and powerful, the bodybuilder is symmetrical and defined. The dawn of the modern physique appeared first around the late 1940s with the concept of a small waist, symmetry, non-drug size, and definition. It was Vince Girondia who applied the overload system, isolation, intensity, double breathing, palm grip, muscle confusion, kinesiology, sissy squats, no abdominal work, creating an illusion, creative posing, the neck press, and, finally, nutrition. The divorce had been made, and the bodybuilder had his own identity. Unfortunately, old ways die slowly and most trainers still utilize the non-productive methods.

When I think of all the excellent body builders that could profit immensely from Vince’s principles, Mike Mentzer comes to mind. Now please, I know that Mike is a certified winner and a gentleman. I've met him twice at different shows and liked him very much, but anyone can make improvements. I am certain that if Vince were speaking to Mike personally, he would give him this constructive advice:

Mike, you have a very large and overly developed gluteus maximus minimus and hips (rear end) from doing excessive weightlifting squats.

You have done excessive stomach work (sit-ups and leg raises) and it has increased the size of your waist. Relaxed and in repose it looks rather heavy, and an increase in waist width decreases optical shoulder width.

As you were born with very narrow shoulders (as was Larry Scott), you should de-emphasize working your trapezius muscles, for as they become larger, again, you lose optical shoulder width. You should concentrate on deltoid mass and create the illusion of width that you need (as Larry Scott did). His suggestions prove the genetic obvious that each and every one of us have natural flaws in our physiques and therefore we must accentuate the positives and hide the negatives. Vince called this creating an illusion. This is exactly what makes Vince so outstanding, as he has thought of almost everything. He has never said that he was 100% correct in all aspects, and this is obvious in his new and revised courses. Even today, I think he is working with amino acids, for he, years ago, predicted they would someday replace protein for bodybuilders.

What bothers me most is that there are so many bodybuilders and trainers who utilize his methods, yet they give you the impression that it was their idea. Being an avid reader of most physique publications for the past few years, I have noticed several articles concerning different aspects of training. Enable me to describe some of them that I have read. One article dealt with the fact that bodybuilding was certainly more than 80% nutrition and gave some very familiar-sounding nutritional tips. Another said use muscle confusion for maximum gains; another spoke of intensity and the most amount of work in the least amount of time; one stated that isolation movements were supreme for best shape; then another suggested to eliminate stomach work when you’re on a gaining routine, and, last but not least, some author said that you should use a carbohydrate overload every fourth day for maximum definition. This is all well and good because facts were spoken, but not one author gave credit to Vince, as he has been advocating these methods since 1950. Why shouldn’t he, for he invented them? The only authors that give credit to Vince are Don Ross and Tim Brolus.

A few years ago, I took my products and courses to a contest that featured a famous guest-poser. At intermission, he was signing autographs and answering questions. We were sitting next to each other, and a young fellow asked him what the best method of training was. He replied, "To work out fast, short and intense." Another fellow asked if that wasn’t what Vince Gironda advocated. He replied that he wasn’t familiar with Vince’s methods and then proceeded to change the subject. I couldn’t believe what he had said, for earlier he was thumbing through Vince’s courses.

Ask yourself how you would feel if you discovered, researched, or invented something and you received absolutely no credit whatsoever. I’m certain that it would be very discouraging and frustrating. Of course, the fact is that egos and jealousy run rampant among bodybuilders, but I’m certain that you are well aware of this! Of course, this situation exists in life among countries, corporations, schools and churches, as well as both sexes. Think for a minute about yourself personally and someone at your company, at school, next door, and even in the gym, who is very popular, very good looking, exceptionally well-built, dated the best-looking girls, and to top it all off, was extremely intelligent. At some time or another you had envious feelings and were probably just a little jealous. It happens to all of us and, really, it’s just human nature!

This is one of the very problems that Vince has faced for years. We all have our peer groups, and Vince’s was the one that emerged in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s with different approaches to physique training. There was Bob Hoffman, Jack LaLanne, Joe Weider, Dan Laurie, John Grimek, and lesser-known names. Each and everyone thought his methods were authoritative. But the fact is that Vince surpassed them all in training innovations, techniques, theory, and nutrition. Even today, most of them still don’t know what he is talking about! As I have always said, the only crime Vince Gironda ever committed is being 1000 years ahead of his time, being simply too smart and knowing too much. Another disadvantage Vince encounters is that he owns a very small gym and sells his courses and memberships. Now it should be quite obvious to everyone that the U.S.A’s economy is built upon consumer purchasing, coupled with tremendous advertising to sell products. Some say this promotion is based upon a form of subtle brainwashing with every conceivable psychological trick used to sell, including the old standby, sex! Just ask any kid what he wants for a treat, and with no hesitation he’ll say a candy bar or a McDonald’s, not vitamins or milk-and-egg protein! When Madison Avenue says we should use coffee, smoke cigarettes, consume Coca-Cola, or drink beer, we usually do. It is a mind-conditioning process. They routinely play with us and do our thinking for us – as in Howdy Doody!

Bodybuilding philosophy and thinking is, today, dominated by very slick publications whose sales of equipment, vitamins, and courses is in the millions, and their advertising budget is also! Some of these magazines have some control of physique contests and committees by sponsorship alone. The publications recruit and contract top bodybuilders to endorse their products and philosophies. An old proverb states, "Whose bread you eat is whose song you sing!" Get the point? Many of the top stars have either trained at Vince’s or practiced his methods, but you’ll never know this, for there is a definite conflict of interests involved. Vince Gironda has never paid any physique man a cent and has never had one under contract! It is obvious that these publications feel toward Vince as the medical profession feels about vitamins and minerals – an economic threat!

Now enter the impressionable mind of a young trainee who sees these physique stars in full-color ads implying that if you use this product or that course, you’ll look like him, in a very short time. Usually his idol is next to, or holding a half-nude young lady, to seal a lasting impression, and if he’ll bomb, blast, bang, and blitz his brains out, he’ll be a bona fide winner! His idol also belongs to the magazine’s research clinic, so it’s got to be valid, and, after all, his idol wouldn’t lie to him, would he? By the way, I have searched, and I have never been able to locate this research clinic because it just plain never existed.

So now what we have is a little guy like Vince competing against a million-dollar magazine promotion of bodybuilder philosophy. Guess who will win? No contest, to be sure.

So now the young trainee enters the gym and is ready to proceed with the task of becoming a champion. A trait of human beings is that we always seem to conform to the environment that we’re exposed to, and this holds very true in the gym where we train. In America we’re always taught that the harder you work, the greater your rewards, but this theory has no relation to increasing muscle size and definition. In the many number of gyms that I have been to, I have only seen a handful of people working out correctly. One reason is that most people conform to the standard way of training or as all the other fellows in gym train. This is comprised of 20 to 30 sets of 5 to 8 exercises per bodypart, plenty of squats, enormous poundages, cheating, lengthy workouts, many sit-ups and leg raises, excessive chatter and talking, very little concentration because of the loud rock music, and very limited knowledge of nutrition. Most trainees have little or no concept of how to train correctly, so therefore the result is failure! I know exactly what it is, for I have experienced it all!

So, I’m encouraging the bodybuilder to think, reason, and explore all the methods, but at least give Vince a real chance to help you!

The inevitable question that I am asked is, "What is Vince like personally? I will give you a short summary, because I have only observed him in the gym. To begin with, and I’ve said this often, he is extremely outspoken – painfully so! He certainly wouldn’t be ordained a Lutheran minister, and I’m positive that no public relations firm would hire him. His sardonic manner would give Don Rickles an inferiority complex. He is definitely not concerned whether you like him or not, because he is the best at what he does, and he knows it! I heard him once say that unfortunately he was stuck with his personality. At times he can be so very nice that you would like to hug him, and at other times you’d like to choke him. His sense of humor in monumental, and an infinite stream of jokes are cracked during the day. I’ve taken workouts when he wasn’t present and the atmosphere was definitely lacking. He is an extremely interesting person and absolutely has charisma. Vince’s pride is still very much in tact, for he keeps in constant shape, even to this day. Comparing physiques, you’ll find no one his age that can even come close. Today we have a Mr. Over 40 contest with so many outstanding men, but I wish they would stage a Mr. Over 60. It would be dull, of course, because Vince would be the only contestant and winner. The old guard that I spoke of earlier wouldn’t dare compete.

One feeling that I have always had is that he is extremely sensitive and hurt because he has not been recognized and respected for his contributions! I’ll take the optimistic view that there is still time remaining.

Let us all look to the future and explore the very legitimate possibility that in the next century the science of bodybuilding and nutrition will be taught in our schools and colleges as courses. Required nutritional reading will be by Vince Gironda, Rheo Blair, Dr. Kurt Donsbach, Dr. Carlton Fredericks, and Adell Davis. Workout philosophy will be, I feel, by Vince Gironda. So hold on to all of Gironda’s courses, for some day they will be valuable. Of course, at this time there is no established school or college that teaches bodybuilding, so we are all on our own to educate ourselves. Until then, maybe I can recommend a place that I refer to as G.U. (Gironda University). If you’re ever in North Hollywood, drive west on Venture Boulevard past Universal Studios until you come to 11262. There you’ll find what you’re searching for – knowledge!

Again, looking to the future, we might also see a bodybuilder’s "Hall of Fame." Many of the champions we’ve known, Grimek, Reeves, Scott, Arnold, and Zane, will be featured, and I feel that the master of the teachers will finally be given his due – Vince Gironda.

So, as I have steadfastly implied for 16 years, whether you choose to accept it or not, that there is only one authority in bodybuilding today, and he is Vince Gironda. I just hope bodybuilders will see through all the B.S. of commercial publications where big dollars distort the facts and give Vince a chance, for he deserves the respect for his honesty, truthfulness and dedication to our sport!

I am from the school of basics when it comes to bodybuilding. I have been training since my teens in the mid sixties alwayss using heavy weights and basic exercises. My system has always been Press Behind Neck, Squats, Bench Press, Rowing and barbell curls. I perform eight sets of five reps for all exercises and my workouts take about 3 hours. I do have some fair size but I do not really look impressive. Any suggestions?

For someone who has been training for around twenty years you better have gotten something from your training. Your routine stinks! And the worst thing is that you take three hours to do it. Limited routines such as yours are OK for short periods but to do the same basics for twenty years!!! Where have you been?

Get more variety in your training and increase the reps to 8-10. I suggest you split a routine based on working each muscle group with three different exercises at least, maybe four. If you want shape and impressiveness then I suggest you use specific isolation exercises. Kill your love affair with the basics. After twenty years it's about time.

I do not think I have seen six men in my life do a chin properly. Don Howorth was one of them. Don pulled up with his chest high and touched his chest to the bar almost as low as his low Pec line. His elbows were drawn down to his sides, touching his lats, and with the chest high and the shoulders down and back, he contracted his lats to the maximum.

If you look up the function of the lat in any Kinesiology book, it will show that the lat – in the fully contracted position – the shoulders are drawn down and back! Round the back and shoulders forward, and you shift to the Teres major muscles. Also, if you do not arch your back to full contraction, you will not develop any of the fibres across the back that attach to the spine. This will give you a flat underdeveloped look with no thickness.

This is how you do the chin: Reach up and grasp the chinning bar, but not too wide…closer than you ordinarily do them, because the lats are partially contracted in a wide grip. Next, stand on a box so that you can jump up into the contracted position and hold at the top for a split second. Now, lower your body and stand on the box (Do singles). Jump up again and touch your low pec to the bar and arch the back. Most important – elbows must touch the sides in the top or contracted position to achieve maximum contraction.

The next most abused exercise is the parallel dip for pec development. The average bodybuilder does this exercise with his elbows back and his chest up and the back arched. Also, he does not drop down low enough, plus his body usually swings due to excessive speed in pec – forming the exercise. The proper way to dip is as follows: Hands should be 32” wide, elbows straight out to the sides (never back), and chin on chest. Chest must be concave and back rounded, feet forward under the head. In short, the body is in a crescent shape. The bottom of the dipping movement is the most important part of the dip; the first 8-10 inches are very isolated pec and most important – dipping receives less help from the deltoid than any other pec exercise. Bench Press plus Incline Dumbell Press – knuckles not facing each other but forward, about 90 percent assistance from delts. The wider the parallel bar, the wider the stress on the pec where the pec disappears under the front deltoid. This gives the chest a greater illusion of width.

Here, in Vince’s Gym, we have V-shaped parallel dip bars and by just moving your hands back you get a wider portion of the pec. By the way, if you hump up your back at the top of the movement, you work the Serratus muscles very forcibly.

Great articles from Lat's McGree. Can clear up some of the mis-information and confusion about Gironda's methods and training programs. For Example: last year I mentioned the benefits of the "V" dipping bar and Gironda's different way(s) of doing the exercises with that "V" designed bar. The Pumpster, for what ever reason, had a meltdown and said that there was never any piece of equipment like the "V" bar and for me to prove it. And that Gironda never did have any connection with a thing like that. So I had to send the poor fellow three places where he could buy a "V" dipping bar. Also enclosed an article , by Gironda, on training on such a device. Hope it helped The Pumpster to understand better. The thing is , we have two "V" dipping bars (one of mental and the other with 2X6's) for years in our gym. Lat's McGee opens up the opportunity for all of us to learn (me included) more from the genius of the original Italian stallion, Vince Gironda.

Like some of Gironda's diet thinking, that steak and egg's together (three times a day if you could swing it) was a top muscle builder. Also heavy cream ( even whipping creme) and eggs with protein powder. What influence Rheo Blairs protein powder really had with Gironda and his training ideas. Liver tabs taken throughout the day. And a couple cups of coffee to jump start the workouts. All interesting stuff. If you got the time Lat's, than keep it coming. Or if any of you experienced veterans would like to lay some stuff on all of us, than welcome.

Great articles from Lat's McGree. Can clear up some of the mis-information and confusion about Gironda's methods and training programs. For Example: last year I mentioned the benefits of the "V" dipping bar and Gironda's different way(s) of doing the exercises with that "V" designed bar. The Pumpster, for what ever reason, had a meltdown and said that there was never any piece of equipment like the "V" bar and for me to prove it. And that Gironda never did have any connection with a thing like that. So I had to send the poor fellow three places where he could buy a "V" dipping bar. Also enclosed an article , by Gironda, on training on such a device. Hope it helped The Pumpster to understand better. The thing is , we have two "V" dipping bars (one of mental and the other with 2X6's) for years in our gym. Lat's McGee opens up the opportunity for all of us to learn (me included) more from the genius of the original Italian stallion, Vince Gironda.

Like some of Gironda's diet thinking, that steak and egg's together (three times a day if you could swing it) was a top muscle builder. Also heavy cream ( even whipping creme) and eggs with protein powder. What influence Rheo Blairs protein powder really had with Gironda and his training ideas. Liver tabs taken throughout the day. And a couple cups of coffee to jump start the workouts. All interesting stuff. If you got the time Lat's, than keep it coming. Or if any of you experienced veterans would like to lay some stuff on all of us, than welcome.

Man i'm in his mind so bad..I've been putting forth all sorts of good stuff on training. In fact i notice that the usual move is to follow my post with one basically regurgitating what's already been said. In the usual blowhard fashion, of course.

Putting all sorts of good stuff on training would be a great idea.......wonder when The Pumpster will start doing that. Soon, I hope. He can Feel free to post me any time for some more useful ideas. Hope this helps the little guy.

hahahaha, man we have to get a picture of this beast "JPM", this guy claims absolutely monster lifts but has no picture posted to show the results of this brutal training, i'm calling this guy out to step up and prove that he knows what he's doing.

I do not have much time to exercise, but I can do it regularly. I have tried various routines of different champions but my arms have not gained even though I was performing six different exercises for my forearms, biceps and triceps.

My arms seem to pump up well when I train but the next day they are back to normal.

You are doing too many exercises for your arms. Try just one for each section as follows; but first you should stimulate your metabolism so that arm growth comes quicker.

Do you train Sergio Oliva? I think he is the best bodybuilder around even today.

I saw you at the Olympia (outside the Felt Forum on the day of the contest) in New York, but you were surrounded by fans so I did not get to shake your hand and say hi!

This was the first time I had seen you, and also the first time I had seen Sergio and I must admit I got a real kick out of seeing you both.

I am going to buy your book “Unleashing the Wild Physique” right now.

One last thing, I had heard that Sergio’s posing was not all that hot, yet I thought he did pretty well at the Olympia. What did you think?

No! I do not train Sergio, but he does stop over at my gym whenever he’s in the Los Angeles area.

You could almost say that Sergio doesn’t need my training because I specialize in bringing out the flared tapered look on physiques (wide shoulders, narrow hips and waist) and Sergio already has this look naturally. He’s a genetic superior.

Regarding New York, I must admit it was a joy to meet so many fans of my training methods. I didn’t realize so many youngsters were sympathetic to my methods. I was overwhelmed by so many polite and gracious young enthusiasts, I couldn’t believe it! I appreciate every one of them.

Sergio’s posing? I liked it. I thought he presented a nice mix of muscle and artistic attitudes. He looked great too!

Mohamed Makkawy wrote this article before leaving to compete in last year's Mr Olympia contest in Munich, Germany. He was placed second to Samir Bannout, but went on to win the Grand Prix that followed the Mr Olympia, an achievement that saw him crowned as Grand Prix champion, and hailed as today's most successful competing bodybuilding star. He is hot favourite to win the title this year. Now you too can follow the routine of the "Magic Egyptian" for success!

As I write this article I am preparing for the 1983 Mr Olympia contest which will be held in Munich, Germany, on September 24th, 1983. September 25th there is a Grand Prix contest in Zurich, then September 27th a Grand Prix contest in Sweden. Then October 1st the final Grand Prix contest in London, England.

Since I intend to enter all these contests in order to try and win the Grand Prix Championship I must train and diet in such a way that I keep my condition for all four contests. Many bodybuilders will enter the Mr Olympia and then give up after that, trying not to compete any more.

It is very difficult to hold a contest peak for even eight days, because at least a week before the contest I am practically starving, living only on special amino acids that I get from my trainer Vince Gironda. When I enter more than one contest, as is the case this time, then I must stay on this diet an extra week.

Since the Night of the Champions in May, I have been training very, very hard, and have turned down many appearances and seminars so that I could train and not repeat what happened before the Night of the Champions. My routine this time has been geared to get me as cut up and defined as possible, and also to place special emphasis on the back. Even though I show only one back routine in this article sometimes I vary it doing additional exercises on alternate days. My body has been responding very well, and I feel I have improved in all areas, but especially the back and arms. When the pictures of the Mr Olympia come out be sure to look at them and see if you agree that my arms are larger and more defined now than ever before.

The reason that I am going for more definition is that I expect my chief competition to come from Frank Zane and Samir Bannout. Both these bodybuilders are very symmetrical and well defined. Therefore the strategy of my manager, Ken Wheeler, and my trainer, Vince Gironda, has been to get me as cut to the bone as possible. But I must also have better development bodypart by bodypart in order to win. That is why, for example, I am doing so much work on my back. Frank and Samir both have excellent backs, so I must have too. Also by emphasising the arms I think I can overshadow them in the arm poses.

My posing routine will still use "Chariots of Fire" as a musical background, but I have made a few changes in it to try and show my back, shoulders and arms more. Vince has worked with me on this routine — I have just come back from training in California with him for two weeks and he says I am ready!

My diet has been the same as it always is when preparing for a contest. In other words I start out by eating only meat, chicken and fish (zero carbohydrates), then as the contest gets nearer I reduce the amount of food and take amino acids and liver tablets instead until in the last week when I live entirely on amino acids and liver tablets and no food.

My exact routine is listed below. However unless you are an advanced bodybuilder do not try and follow it exactly or you will lose muscle size. Notice how many times a day I train! For a better understanding of my recommendations for those who are not yet ready to compete in high level contests, I would like to advise you that I have completed my new training courses that Bob Kennedy has mentioned before in his "Bodypower" gossip column. Details of my courses are available if you write to me at: Super Fitness Centres Inc, 2110 Dundas Street East, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 1L9, Canada.

This is the way I am currently training. Every morning, Monday to Friday I work my legs completely. On every afternoon of these same days I work my back. On Monday and Thursday nights I work my chest. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights I work my arms. And if you think I take a rest on Sundays you're mistaken! As the contest season comes around I do not allow myself this luxury. Most Sundays I will do some miscellaneous exercises, training any area that I feel needs extra attention. Currently I am doing some back and shoulder work during these Sunday sessions.

The last time details of my training routine were published I was performing most exercises for twelve reps each set. Right now I am doing eight reps in most exercises, handling a little more weight than I used to with twelve reps. I am noticing that my calves, as well as my back and arms, are all growing well. Of course this does not mean that eight reps are necessarily better than twelve. It is probably the shock value of the change–over.

I may well go back to higher reps again one day and enjoy yet another growth cycle. I train at a pretty fast pace aiming to keep a good style in every exercise. I do not perform heavy duty style training, neither do I perform forced or negative reps to increase basic power. Remember that back home in Egypt I used to be an Olympic weightlifter, and that's where I paid my dues with endless heavy, power workouts.

As I close this article, I would like to say a sincere thank you to all those who have supported me... my fans are my strength. They make me want to get better and better. Good luck in your training!Mohamed Makkawy's Olympia Routine:

Lat's McGree: Not to kiss your ring or anything but this is great stuff. A guy loaned me a stack of the original IronMan magazines (when it was a great mag) when I was in my teens (1988 or so). Lots of articles by and about Gironda. Pullover & press, "V" bar dips, Sissy Squats, chin to pec's, etc. And let's not forget the 20 rep breathing squat for increasing muscle mass. Wish some of the present younger guy's would experiment with some of those ideas rather than doing most of those self defeating 5 and 6 day splits. Preformance of the exercise for pure BB'ers, not the weight used. Who really cares if a BB'er can bench 400 for reps if his arms are only 16 1/2 and his pec's look like crap?

I wonder if somewhere in heaven (or Hell) Gironda and Metzer are having debates about their training ideas. Given both their personalities, that would be very interesting indeed. Storm warning ahead.

I read some of this thread and wondered why Vince Gironda didn't continue to be held in high regard for his training knowledge. Well, two things happened that changed bodybuilding and what people believed. The first was the arrival of Arthur Jones on the bodybuilding scene. His articles and ads dominated Ironman and just about everyone had to read what Arthur preached. Clearly he had something new to offer and it was the opposite of 10 X 10 or even 8 X 8. The Nautilus machines were also something new and Arthur argued that training times could be reduced to perhaps a third of what people were doing in those days. He predicted that bodybuilders would cut years off the time it took to reach the highest level in competition. Well, that didn't turn out to be true. Most of us questioned our methods and many of us reduced what we were doing. Arthur outshone everyone else who was knowledgeable and pretty much overturned hypertrophy theory. The proof is in the pudding and there never was any pudding. Clearly, we would all have been wiser to stick with what Vince Gironda wrote.

The other factor that changed bodybuilding forever was the admission that they took anabolic drugs. If drugs were what caused the most growth then we didn't need gurus and that impacted on people like Gironda. Anyone who was around in the 1960s knew that Vince's Gym singlets were popular everywhere and were one of the first to be available. Lots of people sent away for Gironda courses.

I recall one year that there was a flood after a storm that inundated Vince's Gym. There was a photo of him sweeping the mud out of the gym. It wasn't long after that the gym closed. Who would have believed that could or would happen? Arthur Jones was so successful with his Nautilus machines that they started a gym boom that saw lots of clubs opening everywhere. Gyms had to have the latest equipment otherwise customers would go elsewhere. I suppose the gym that Vince had was not able to keep up with the trends. Goodness knows it cost a lot of money to buy treadmills, etc. His gym wasn't really big enough to put in more equipment. He did install a women's section upstairs but it wasn't well equipped. All the knowledge in the world won't help if people perceive a gym is old and not well equipped.

We can read this thread and other words of Gironda and acknowledge the guy knew heaps about training. I have no doubt he would have gotten better results in his students with his methods than Mike or Ray could with theirs. I swear Arthur and Mike influenced me so that I didn't do enough sets with a maximum resistance. Instead of 1 or 2 max sets you need at least 5. So Gironda's 8 X 8 is on the money. Also, Gironda had heaps of ideas and strategies to keep muscles growing. We should all realize that Larry Scott had an ordinary frame but built an amazing body to beat everyone in his day. That is a heck of an achievement. Both Larry and Vince Gironda are masters of exercise form and methods.